Why This Entrepreneur Makes All New Hires Live With Him for a Month

Frequently covers crowdfunding, the sharing economy and social entrepreneurship.

May 8, 2014

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If you want to work at whiskey company WhistlePig, which sells luxury, 10-year old rye, you're first going to have to learn how to feed big, burly pigs and read historic philosophy texts. You're also going to have to leave your home and go live with the entrepreneur who founded WhistlePig for at least a month.

Raj Peter Bhakta, the founder of Shoreham, Vt.-based WhistlePig whiskey, and his wife, Danhee Kim, who runs sales and marketing, say that bringing their new hires up to their farm generates authentic bonds between the staff and gives new hires a chance to build their own, firsthand stories about the rye whiskey brand, which prides itself on being distinctive and irreverent.

For up and coming WhistlePig brand ambassadors, a day at the Vermont headquarters involves everything from feeding pigs on the farm to repairing farm houses to researching whiskey laws in the state where they will focus on once they leave the farm.

Entrepreneur.com traveled to WhistlePig’s farm to talk to the founders, meet the current class of WhistlePig brand ambassadors living there, have a bonfire after a feast of a dinner, and, of course, try the whiskey. Watch this video to see the farm and hear why this small company invests so much time and energy into its employees so early on.

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